Hodan Abby Stays in Syria Under 2-Year Exclusion Order as 19 Other Australians Head Home
Updated
Updated · ABC News · May 26
Hodan Abby Stays in Syria Under 2-Year Exclusion Order as 19 Other Australians Head Home
9 articles · Updated · ABC News · May 26
Hodan Abby and her child are not returning to Australia, leaving all but two members of the final ISIS-linked Australian group from al-Roj camp set to arrive as soon as Tuesday afternoon.
A temporary exclusion order issued in February bars Abby's entry for up to two years on national security grounds, and her child—though not covered by the order—has chosen to remain with her.
Seven women and 14 children left the camp last week, drove more than 750 kilometres to Damascus, then were believed to have flown via Doha to Sydney and Melbourne on Australian passports.
Tony Burke said Canberra "has not and will not provide any assistance" to the group, while warning returning women they will face the full force of the law if suspected of crimes.
That warning follows the earlier return this month of 11 Australians from Syria, when three women were arrested on slavery, terrorism and travel-to-declared-area charges.
Can children raised under ISIS ever truly be de-radicalized and safely integrated into Australian society?
Is Australia's 'hands-off' repatriation a security masterstroke or a future threat in the making?